Instead of bringing your pool into your sitting room, Soneva Fushi brings the sitting room into the pool. With its unique sunken seating area amidst its new sprawling private residence (which guests will be able to book and rent from the owners). A new twist to “under” water activity in the Maldives.
If you prefer simpler activities on the water’s surface, then at Jumeirah Vittaveli you can actually walk on water! I would tell you how it’s one, but a conjurer never reveals his secrets.
Magic!
One & Only Reethi Rah has its own fun “nursery water feature”, though this one has more than just water cascading down it and its own host of young blossoms to lend it vibrant colour.
When I added the ‘Room Type’ database and profiles, two of the first characteristics that I catalogued were whether the room had (a) a Jacuzzi/pool, and (b) a glass floor (for water villas). Well, Coco Palm Dhuni Kolhu features a ‘two-for’…a water villa pool WITH a glass floor. Kind of an aqueous parfait. Look through water to see…water.
I was alerted to it by eagle-eyed Sakis Papadopoloous of Dreaming of Maldives in his post this week titled ‘Your TOP 10 Maldives Dreamy Resorts in 2012’ where his dazzling photo (see above) graced their runner-up entry.
Perhaps the most tragic natural disaster of the decade, the Boxing Day Tsunami, happened eponymously today. While hitting the hardest in its South Pacific epicentre, its titanic power travelled thousands of miles to the Maldives who suffered fatalities and much loss (which on a per capita basis was actually one of the hardest hit countries in its path).
One of the resorts hit hardest was Four Seasons Kuda Huraa (in fact, a work colleague was a guest on the island that day) so today’s post features on of their distinctions. In fact, it features something more Maldivian-like and completely un-tsunami-like.
A tsunami is so antithetical to the mill pond like stillness of the typical Maldivian seas. Swimming in the Maldives is like swimming in an aquarium. And, at Four Seasons Kuda Huraa you can actually ‘swim in an aquarium’ of sorts as well in its glass walled private pool (see above). However, it is only stocked with with the aquatic species Guestus Bikinius.
One of the dividends to my WTM visit is coming away with a notebook full of new ‘Best of Maldives’ candidates through my discussions with the various resorts and the Tourism Ministry folks. One of my revelations was meeting with Haydee Cruz of The Beach House at Iruveli and learning about their ‘all pool villas’ concept.
Iruveli are neither the only nor the first ‘all pool villa’ resort (eg. Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru has the same concept), but they are the biggest. With their 83 rooms (versus 48 are Vabbinfaru) plus their 2 (!) main pools AND a special kids pool at the kids club, they coming to a splashing 86 pools in total (hat tip to Liz Panchang who pointed out the distinction). And these are substantial pools, eg. Length: 3.2m, Width: 2.3m, Depth: 1.1m.
I love waterfall features in pools (no not Michael Phelps kind of pool ‘waterfalls’…in fact, one might want to be careful around the Conrad Rangali pool). Perhaps it is because they make the pool more alive with animation. Perhaps it is because it evokes one of my all time favourite adventures trekking into a Togolese jungle to visit the Badou Cascades. Perhaps they evoke some other stereotypically imprinted image of tropical paradise. Our very first resort in the Maldives featured one – the erstwhile Laguna Beach, now Velassaru (unfortunately, now sans waterfall)l. Sheraton Full Moon had an impressive one, but it was more adjacent to the pool than integrated into the pool (you can’t swim under it). So I was on a bit of a quest for the best Pool Waterfall in the Maldives.
I found my heart’s desire at Sun Island. Sun has not just one, but two striking waterfall fountains. Doubly dramatic.
Kandooma may be the best pool for young kids, but Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru has the best young kids pool I have soon. Kandooma’s is the main pool for everyone which happens to be well suited for young pre-schoolers. But Landaa has a special kiddie pool, that is far from kiddie sized, in their excellent kids club. But what really clinched their distinction was their adorable little kiddie lounge chairs and matching junior-sized beach towels (see below). I did feel a bit like Gulliver visiting the club. Just right for kids to feel big on a small island.
There are all sorts of people distinctions. Dog people and cat people. Lake people and ocean people. Sail people and motorboat people. Beach people and pool people.
If you prefer a pool as expansive as Landaa’s beach, then Kandooma is the resort to head to. Now, like the many Maldives lagoons it sort of ressembles, much of the pool is quite shallow. As a result, it makes for an ideal play area for young children.
Kandooma’s pool comes in at 65 metres by 73 metres for a total area of 4,745 square metres. Kanuhura’s pool covers 120 metres by 67 metres, but in actually aquatic area, more than half of those distances are various sinuous twists and squirms rather than full water area.
Pool is so big that it has two of its own island with lounge chairs. With Kandooma’s signature giant beach towels, you could also say that Kandooma is the ‘Best for Paul Bunyan to Take a Dip.’
Welcome to the neighbourhood, Dusit Thani.
This week, Dusit Thani opens its doors to its first guests…
Their announcement highlights one of their first distinctions out of the blocks, their infinity pool…
“The resort’s centrepiece is the expansive infinity swimming pool, the largest in the Maldives, a full 750 square metres designed around an ancient banyan tree.”
There is a magical dimension to infiniti pools. The way they seamlessly insinuate themselves into the surrounding landscape. Our most memorable was the Filitheyo pool whose pool edge faces the west making for the most soothing dip at sunset pina coladas in hand. Dusit Thani’s sheer scale amplifies that trompe de l’oeil and it’s island banyan tree adds just that extra touch of magic.
One a side note, my heart goes out to all Maldivians facing this current unsettled period and my hope is that sensible minds and caring hearts prevail quickly.